Science in the Glorious Quran: The Corned Ceiling

” وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ سَقْفًا مَّحْفُوظًا ۖ وَهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ” (الأنبياء: 32).

“And We made the sky (the atmosphere) a protected ceiling; yet they turn away from its wonders.” (Qur’an, 21:32)

Although the atmosphere extends for several hundred kilometers, it is a thin layer above the surface of the Earth. The atmosphere contains oxygen, which is essential for life, and carbon dioxide, which helps to maintain a moderate temperature suitable for life. On the other hand, it protects the Earth from millions of meteoroids which are burnt completely or reduced to a small size due to its friction with Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere also protects the Earth from dangerous and harmful radiation, like ultraviolet and cosmic rays.

What keeps the atmosphere bound to Earth? It is gravity that keeps the atmosphere anchored to Earth. If the Earth was less massive it would have lost most of its original atmosphere, as has happened on Mars.

Isn’t this protected ceiling of the atmosphere a great blessing of God the Almighty? Who told the Prophet (PBUH) about this ceiling?

The atmosphere maintains the moderate temperature for life to continue on the Earth (left). The atmosphere burns or reduces the size of meteoroid as result of the friction with the atmosphere (right).